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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 3:1-10

Long was Job's heart hot within him; and, while he was musing, the fire burned, and the more for being stifled and suppressed. At length he spoke with his tongue, but not such a good word as David spoke after a long pause: Lord, make me to know my end, Ps. 39:3, 4. Seven days the prophet Ezekiel sat down astonished with the captives, and then (probably on the sabbath day) the word of the Lord came to him, Ezek. 3:15, 16. So long Job and his friends sat thinking, but said nothing; they were... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 3:5

Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it ,.... Let there be such darkness on it as on persons when dying, or in the state of the dead; hence the sorest afflictions, and the state of man in unregeneracy, are compared unto it, Psalm 23:4 ; let there be nothing but foul weather, dirt, and darkness in it, which may make it very uncomfortable and undesirable; some render the word, "let darkness and the shadow of death redeem it" F26 יגאלהו "vindicassent", Junius & Tremellius;... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 3:5

Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it - יגאלהו yigaluhu , "pollute or avenge it," from גאל gaal , to vindicate, avenge, etc.; hence גאל goel , the nearest of kin, whose right it was to redeem an inheritance, and avenge the death of his relative by slaying the murderer. Let this day be pursued, overtaken, and destroyed. Let natural darkness, the total privation of the solar light, rendered still more intense by death's shadow projected over it, seize on and destroy this... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 3:1-10

The stricken patriarch's lament: 1. Deploring his birth. I. DELIBERATE DISCOURSE . 1 . The time. "After this;" i.e. after the seven days' silence, after waiting, perhaps, for some expression of sympathy from his friends, perhaps also after discerning no mitigation in his misery—an indication that Job spoke not under the influence of some sudden paroxysm of grief, but with fixed resolve and after mature consideration. Language that is passionate may also be deliberate; and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 3:1-12

Human infirmity revealed in deep affliction. Frail is the heart of man. With all its heroism, its endurance and power, yet the stout heart yields and the brave spirit is cowed. The strongest bends beneath the heavy pressure. But if the human life is to be truthfully presented, its failures as well as its excellences must be set forth. It is an evidence that the writer is attempting an impartial statement, and in the midst of his poetical representations is not led away to mere extravagance... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 3:1-26

The eloquence of grief. This book, so entirely true to nature, presents here one of the darkest moods of the grief-stricken heart. The first state is that of paralyzed silence, dumbness, inertia. Were this to continue, death must ensue. Stagnation will be fatal. The currents of thought and feeling must in some way be set flowing in their accustomed channels, as in the beautiful little poem of Tennyson on the mother suddenly bereaved of her warrior-lord- "All her maidens, wondering, said, ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 3:5

Let darkness and the shadow of death . "The shadow of death" ( צלמות ) is a favourite expression in the Book of Job, where it occurs no fewer than nine times. Elsewhere it is rare, except in the Psalms, where it occurs four times. It is thought to be an archaic word. Stain it ; rather, claim it , or claim it for their own ( Revised Version). Let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it . The hot, stifling "blackness" of the khamsin wind is probably... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Job 3:5

Let darkness and the shadow of death - The Hebrew word צלמות tsalmâveth is exceedingly musical and poetical. It is derived from צל tsêl, “a shadow,” and מות mâveth, “death;” and is used to denote the deepest darkness; see the notes at Isaiah 9:2. It occurs frequently in the sacred Scriptures; compare Job 10:21-22; Psalms 23:4; Job 12:22; Job 16:16; Job 24:17; Job 34:22; Job 38:17; Amos 5:8; Jeremiah 2:6. It is used to denote the abode of departed spirits, described by Job as “a land of... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Job 3:5

Job 3:5 . Let darkness and the shadow of death Let the most dismal darkness, like that of the place of the dead, which is a land of darkness, and where the light is darkness, Job 10:21-22; or darkness so gross and palpable, that its horrors are insupportable; stain it Take away its beauty and glory, and render it abominable as a filthy thing; or, rather, challenge or claim it, as the word יגאלהו , jigaluhu, here used, may properly be rendered, the verb גאל , gaal, signifying,... read more

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